Denver’s Summit League foe, IPFW, is going through a divorce. IPFW stood for Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne. The campus was jointly operated and administered by Indiana University and Purdue University. After considering a variety of new names to include Purdue University Northeast (PUNE), Fort Wayne University and, more confusing yet, Summit University, they eventually landed on Purdue University Fort Wayne (PUFW).
Under the new arrangement, IU will increase its focus on health sciences and the medical building on the north end of campus while Purdue University Fort Wayne will operate on the South End of campus. A new chancellor is being sought. Current IPFW Chancellor Vicky Carwein said she plans to retire by the end of the year.
According to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, the two parent universities could not figure out how to split bills and manage shared services. John Applegate, the executive vice president for academic affairs, called the prior arrangement “a horrible disaster”. Both schools are seeing enrollment declines.
The IPFW athletic teams migrated to the ‘Fort Wayne’ moniker this past year. No word if the sports teams will continue to be called Fort Wayne or change their uniforms to Purdue University Fort Wayne (PUFW) this next season. It is widely assumed that the school will maintain one of the best team names in college sports, the Mastodons.
Why are we in this conference ?
Anon: Be nice. Nobody else wants us. If people keep complaining about the Summit, they could toss us out and then we become a major independent with no true path to NCAA tournaments in many sports. One day we’ll find a more compatible home.
The PUNE Mastadons would not have been a good selection.
The Summit isn’t perfect, but it’s far better than the Sun Belt or the since imploded WAC, DU’s previous conferences. The reality is that our location (only a handful other D-I schools within a 5 hour drive) and unorthodox sports mix (no football, baseball, track, softball, etc.) are not simply attractive enough to get us an offer from better conferences. As ccdunks said succinctly, “nobody wants us.”
If DU can get men’s basketball to an NCAA tournament level program, DU may be able to more conference nibbles, but right now, the Summit is what we have for a primary conference. With North Dakota joining the Summit soon, it will help add a hockey rival to the conference.
That school whatever it’s name was (or is) is by far the worst-named school in the history of ‘Merica.
Mastodons is so bad it’s actually great.
Why are we in this conference ?
Anon: Be nice. Nobody else wants us. If people keep complaining about the Summit, they could toss us out and then we become a major independent with no true path to NCAA tournaments in many sports. One day we’ll find a more compatible home.
The PUNE Mastadons would not have been a good selection.
The Summit isn’t perfect, but it’s far better than the Sun Belt or the since imploded WAC, DU’s previous conferences. The reality is that our location (only a handful other D-I schools within a 5 hour drive) and unorthodox sports mix (no football, baseball, track, softball, etc.) are not simply attractive enough to get us an offer from better conferences. As ccdunks said succinctly, “nobody wants us.”
If DU can get men’s basketball to an NCAA tournament level program, DU may be able to more conference nibbles, but right now, the Summit is what we have for a primary conference. With North Dakota joining the Summit soon, it will help add a hockey rival to the conference.
That school whatever it’s name was (or is) is by far the worst-named school in the history of ‘Merica.
Mastodons is so bad it’s actually great.